What matters in people’s social lives? What motivates and inspires our society? How do we enact what we know?

Since the first edition published in 1980, Content Analysis has helped shape and define the field. In the highly anticipated Fourth Edition, award-winning scholar and author Klaus Krippendorff introduces readers to the most current method of analyzing the textual fabric of contemporary society. Students and scholars will learn to treat data not as physical events but as communications that are created and disseminated to be seen, read, interpreted, enacted, and reflected upon according to the meanings they have for their recipients. Interpreting communications as texts in the contexts of their social uses distinguishes content analysis from other empirical methods of inquiry.

Organized into three parts, Content Analysis first examines the conceptual aspects of content analysis, then discusses components such as unitizing and sampling, and concludes by showing readers how to trace the analytical paths and apply evaluative techniques. The Fourth Edition has been completely revised to offer readers the most current techniques and research on content analysis, including new information on reliability and social media. Readers will also gain practical advice and experience for teaching academic and commercial researchers how to conduct content analysis.

Available with Perusall—an eBook that makes it easier to prepare for classPerusall is an award-winning eBook platform featuring social annotation tools that allow students and instructors to collaboratively mark up and discuss their SAGE textbook. Backed by research and supported by technological innovations developed at Harvard University, this process of learning through collaborative annotation keeps your students engaged and makes teaching easier and more effective. Learn more.

Preface to the Fourth Edition

Introduction

PART I. CONCEPTUALIZING CONTENT ANALYSIS

Chapter 1. History

1.1 Some Precursors

1.2 Quantitative Newspaper Analysis

1.3 Early Content Analysis

1.4 Propaganda Analysis

1.5 Content Analysis Generalized

1.6 Computer Text Analysis

1.7 Qualitative Approaches

Chapter 2. Conceptual Foundation

2.1 Definition

2.2 Epistemological Elaborations

2.3 Examples

2.4 Framework

2.5 Contrasts and Comparisons

Chapter 3. Uses and Inferences

3.1 Traditional Overviews

3.2 Extrapolations

3.3 Standards

3.4 Indices and Symptoms

3.5 Linguistic Re-Presentations

3.6 Conversations

3.7 Institutional Processes

3.8 Areas of Likely Success

PART II. COMPONENTS OF CONTENT ANALYSIS

Chapter 4. The Logic of Content Analysis Designs

4.1 Content Analysis Designs

4.2 Designs Preparatory to Content Analysis

4.3 Designs Going Beyond Content Analysis

Chapter 5. Unitizing

5.1 Units

5.2 Types of Units

5.3 Ways of Defining Units

5.4 Productivity, Efficiency, and Reliability

Chapter 6. Sampling

6.1 Sampling in Theory

6.2 Sampling Techniques Applicable to Texts

6.3 Sample Size

Chapter 7. Recording/Coding

7.1 The Function of Coding and Recording

7.2 Coder Qualifications

7.3 Coder Training

7.4 Crowdcoding

7.5 Approaches to Defining the Semantics of Data

7.6 Records

Chapter 8. Data Languages

8.1 The Place of Data Languages in Analytical Efforts

8.2 Definitions

8.3 Variables

8.4 Nominal Variables

8.5 Ordered Variable

8.6 Metrics

8.7 Mathematical Operations

Chapter 9. Analytical Constructs

9.1 The Role of Analytical Constructs

9.2 Sources of Certainty

9.3 Types of Constructs

9.4 Sources of Uncertainty

PART III. ANALYTICAL PATHS AND EVALUATIVE TECHNIQUES

Chapter 10. Analytical/Representational Techniques

10.1 Counts

10.2 Cross-Tabulations, Associations, and Correlations

10.3 Multivariate Techniques

10.4 Factor Analysis and Multidimensional Scaling

10.5 Images, Portrayals, Semantic Nodes, and Profiles

10.6 Contingencies and Contingency Analysis

10.7 Clustering

Chapter 11. Computer Aids

11.1 What Computers Do

11.2 How Computers Can Aid Content Analyses

11.3 Text Analyses

11.4 Computational Content Analyses

11.5 Qualitative Data Analysis Support

11.6 Frontiers

Chapter 12. Reliability

12.1 Why Reliability?

12.2 Reliability Designs

12.3 Agreement on Coding Predefined Units

12.4 Accuracy, Surrogacy, and the Decisiveness of Majorities

12.5 The Reliability of Text Mining and Information Retrieval

12.6 Agreement on Unitizing and Coding Finite Continua

12.7 Agreement on Multi-Valued Coding

12.8 Statistical Properties of a

Chapter 13. Validity

13.1 Validity Defined

13.2 A Typology for Validating Evidence

Chapter 14. A Practical Guide

14.1 Designing an Analysis

14.2 Writing a Research Proposal

14.3 Applying the Research Design

14.4 Narrating the Results

Glossary

References

Index

About the Author

This is a comprehensive and well structured book, and one that is easy for students to refer to when they need specific information on different topics.